The next version of the App Store, that will come with Apple's next iOS update, includes a fix that could change the way we shop. The new phone operating system isn't out yet, but a developer testing the beta version discovered the update, which 9to5Mac's Jake Smith has posted. Below you can get a full video tour, but the most obvious design change is the way the searched apps show up. Instead of having a list of 5 or so options show up after an iPhone search (pictured right), the new system shows one tile at a time, which could influence what we get.

In short: Since it is more annoying to scroll through multiple tiles -- even if they are visually nicer-- it means a lot of apps will go unseen. This is already an issue for app-makers. The App Store shows us results based on a secret algorithm that has something to do with ranking and matching our search term. That means most people only ever see a small subset of Apple's purported 670,000+ apps. From the looks of it, that subset is about to get smaller. Apparently there are already tons of apps that never even make it to the store, Apptrace says there are over 6 million registered apps, but only 600,00 show up.

While this might not be a good thing for developers, it might help us sift through to get the best app for us. For iPad owners especially, the changes make scrolling a lot easier on the eyes. Instead of the one slide per screen, the iPad shows three full ones and then the top halves of another three. Also, it looks like Apple also updated its algorithm, so maybe it will show better stuff so we don't have to scroll as much.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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